A major problem existing in households is the presence of house dust mites which release allergens. Dust mites flourish in textile materials such as carpets, upholstered chairs and mattresses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,940 teaches a textile cleaning composition containing benzyl benzoate as an acaricidal agent, a surfactant and a polymeric material.
European Patent No. 17,315 has disclosed that normal insecticides, such as pyrethrins or DDT, are relatively ineffective against house dust mites. According to this patent specification, benzyl benzoate is regarded as a suitable active substance, and the aim of that patent is to diminish a disadvantage of this compound, namely the relatively high vapor pressure, in order to achieve longer retention of the substance. For this purpose, combinations of benzyl benzoate with fatty acid esters and a fungicidal agent in a nonaqueous preparation are proposed therein.
According to British Patent No. 1,368,657, teaches the adding of nonvolatile polyalkylene glycols or nonvolatile ethers or esters to benzyl benzoate. However, this has caused considerable disadvantages in the use of the beds, and these are documented in detail in European Patent No. 17,315. In both literature references, the carrier substances used are volatile organic solvents.